Jingle Bell Run

Whew, I am beat. My dear friend Jess (and her dog Poppy) and I braved the cold this morning to participate in the Arthritis Foundation's Jingle Bell Run. It was 4 miles, which was definitely a challenge for this post-baby girl. The run was along the river downtown, and it was a really pretty route. Now it's 8:00 p.m., and I'm ready for bed.

My Birthday

I turned the big 32 this year. It was a special birthday because Alex had a fun day planned for me (as a surprise).He told me he had to work, but instead gave me a "day-off." From morning until the evening he had blocked out time for me to relax. The kids made me a sweet card, complete with a unicorn. I got some time to meander around the mall by myself, had a massage, and a date night (our anniversary was 5 days before my b-day). He knew just what I needed. Plus, my mom planned a scavenger hunt, which the kids totally loved. Not gonna lie, I don't think I'll ever outgrow a good scavenger hunt.



My favorite gift on the scavenger hunt was a nativity carved from wood that mom picked out for me on her trip to Israel.

Thanksgiving in Galveston

We drove down to Galveston for Thanksgiving this year. My mom's family rents beach houses every Thanksgiving, and we decided it would be fun to join them this year. The 11-12 hour drive went pretty well...thanks to the DVD players and Grammy entertaining the two older kids in the back seat. We met Austin and Molly and their two kiddos there. So thankful for the chance to catch up with my cousins, aunts, and uncles. I wish we could see each other more. I have memories of my older cousins taking care of/playing with me, and now their kids are doing the same with mine. I love it. We ate turkey, played on the beach, did a little window shopping, and played Bingo with around 35 people and two table of prizes. Great memories. Plus, my sweet niece Lena turned 1 year old over the holiday.

Trip to KC

The kids and I took a little trip to Kansas City to see family. We also got to see a good friend while we were there. The kids love their cousins, and played non-stop. My sis-in-law is a fantastic host, and we had a fun and relaxing couple of days. They just moved in to a beautiful new house. We ended up being there the same time as Alex's parents, so the kids got to spend time with their grandparents too.

Lydia and Gran

Owen and Oliver

Kate and Meredith

Play Date

A couple of my gracious friends occasionally invite me to join their weekly play dates. Today, I finally returned the favor. The kids had fun and played so well together, which gave us mamas some time to talk. Got a couple of cute pictures, just sad I am missing my other friend and her two cute girls who came over also. And the boy to girl ratio... a little off scale. Miles and Oliver were a bit out numbered, but I don't think they minded.

School vs.School vs.School

I'm going to put myself out here, and share a little about the last year or so in this thing called, "choosing a school." Sounds simple, right? Kids have been being educated for years either at home or within a formal institution. As our kids get older, and as our friends kids get older, school choice has become a topic of more conversations than I'd like to admit. It seems so loaded. Public, private, home school, when to send your child to school, whole day, half day....to name a few options. I am honestly so worn out with the weight of all these decisions, and really, we haven't even made one yet (except for Oliver's two day a week preschool, which I over-thought too). I'm in an internal cycle of not knowing what is best for our kids, educationally speaking. I flip flop in my mind almost daily, and it goes something like, "I think it would be best for our kids to attend____________(fill in the blank) because _____________________ (fill in the blank)." Oh, and throw in the occasional urge to home school in the mix too. Plus, I'm trying to plan out K-12 for all my kids, and the Lord may return before we even get to that stage:)

My point, although I know the school we choose is important, I know it's more important to seek what the Lord has for our family and let him lead the way step by step. Maybe we won't know where Oliver will go to kindergarten until it's almost game time. For a planner like me, it's difficult, but I think that's what I'm being asked to do. A day at a time, step by step. Um, I see a pattern evolving in my life.

How Big is Lydia?

SO BIG! She loves this. It's that age old game, and when we bring her hands up in the air, she gets the biggest smile. I love her. She is so pleasant.